The Merchant Shipping (Prevention of Oil Pollution) Regulations 1996

Ships other than oil tankers and machinery space bilges of oil tankers

12.—(1) Subject to regulation 11 this regulation applies to—

(a) (i) United Kingdom ships other than oil tankers; and

(ii) United Kingdom oil tankers in relation to discharges from their machinery space bilges (unless mixed with oil cargo residue) but excluding cargo pump room bilges;

wherever they may be, and—

(b) subject to regulation 38, to—

(i) other ships, other than oil tankers; and

(ii) other oil tankers, in relation to discharges from their machinery space bilges (unless mixed with oil cargo residue) but excluding cargo pump room bilges,

wherever they may be.

(2) Subject to paragraph (3), a ship to which this regulation applies shall not discharge oil or oily mixture into any part of the sea unless all the following conditions are satisfied—

(a) the ship is proceeding on a voyage;

(b) the ship is not within a special area;

(c) the oil content of the effluent does not exceed 15ppm; and

(d) the ship has in operation the filtering equipment and the oil discharge and monitoring and control system, required by regulation 14.

(3) In the case of a ship referred to in regulation 14(7) (that is to say, a ship delivered before 6th July 1993) which by virtue of that regulation is for the time being not required to be fitted and is not in fact fitted with the equipment required by regulation 14(1), (2) or (3), paragraph (2) shall not apply until—

(a) 6th July 1998; or

(b) the date on which the vessel is so fitted;

whichever is earlier. Even so, until that date (that is to say, the earlier of the two said dates) the ship shall not discharge oil or oily mixture into the sea unless all the following conditions are satisfied—

(i) the ship is not within a special area;

(ii) the ship is more than 12 miles from the nearest land;

(iii) the ship is proceeding on a voyage;

(iv) the oil content of the effluent is less than 100ppm; and

(v) the ship has in operation approved oily-water separating equipment of a design which is approved in accordance with the specification set out in the Recommendations on International Performance and Test Specifications for Oily Water Separating Equipment and Oil Content Meters.

(4) No discharge into the sea shall contain chemicals or other substances in quantities or concentrations which are hazardous to the marine environment or contain chemicals or other substances introduced for the purpose of circumventing the conditions of discharge prescribed by this regulation.

(5) Insofar as any oil or oily mixture has not been unloaded as cargo and may not be discharged into the sea in compliance with paragraphs (2) or (3), it shall be retained on board and discharged into reception facilities.

(6) Subject to paragraph (7), this regulation does not apply to discharges which occur landward of the line which for the time being is the baseline for measuring the breadth of the territorial waters of the United Kingdom.

(7) Notwithstanding paragraph (6), discharges prohibited by paragraph (4) shall continue to be prohibited when made in the sea on the landward side of the line referred to in paragraph (6).